A new book by author Susan E. Lowey, PhD, RN, CHPN, may just as well change the way people look at nursing. Lowey is an assistant professor in the Department of Nursing at the State University of New York College at Brockport. Lowey has worked as a clinician, researcher, and educator who primarily focus on providing the best end of life care for patients. In her book, “Nursing Beyond the Bedside: 60 Non-Hospital Careers in Nursing,” Lowey provides information about non-hospital nursing career options. Yes, you can be a nurse and not work in a hospital! However, she expressed that those who are just starting their careers may want to begin at a hospital as this is where they will develop the skills and experience needed.

Lowey’s book was published in January 2017 by Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), which is the Honor Society of Nursing. The book provides an array of information for nurses, nursing students, those interested in nursing, and other healthcare personnel.

 The interview with Lowey went as follows:

Q: Where did the inspiration behind this book come from and why did you decide to write this book?
A: My sole inspiration for this book came from a lack of knowledge among my students about non-hospital based nursing jobs. . .. I found [most] students [were] surprised to learn that there were nursing jobs outside of the hospital setting… It is not surprising that nursing students do not consider non-hospital careers because most all of their clinical experiences and rotations take place in a hospital setting.
Q: What was the process like writing your book?
A: The process for writing this book has been fantastic. It was a pleasure working with the staff at STTI publishing. When I originally submitted the proposal for this book, I had a concrete plan and timeline for the process. I stuck to the plan and worked on each chapter of the book diligently so that I would not fall behind close to the deadline for submission. I will be honest and say that it was sometimes difficult to work on the book during busy periods at my job (college professor) but I somehow managed to make it work.
Q: Who should read your book?
A: Practicing nurses from those early in their career to seasoned with experience, nursing students and those interested in pursuing a career in nursing, nursing faculty and educators, particularly those who teach community-health nursing or nursing leadership and management courses, nursing administrators and deans and high school guidance counselors and career advisors.
Q: The book provides information about non-hospital nursing careers, do you mind highlighting and briefly describing one or two of those options?
A: A popular and rapidly growing non-hospital nursing career is in the field of home health nursing. The healthcare system has been steadily changing from a predominantly acute to community-based system and home health nursing is one of the fastest growing nursing jobs today… Telemedicine is used to assess patients that are in distant settings and/or used for cost reduction by utilizing technology in the patient’s home for routine physical assessments. Telemedicine is a service that is most often part of home health care, so nurses work in the office setting and provide oversight and triage for patients who are utilizing telemedicine services.
Q: In the technological age we are living in, why should people buy your book instead of googling the information?
A: My book provides a tangible and current resource for those interested in knowing the various non-hospital career options that are available to them… There is no one site that provides comprehensive information about this topic. My book provides a description of each non-hospital nursing job, includes the basic educational preparation and skills required, and offers links to professional organizations and other resources for additional information about that specific nursing job.
Q: What do you think makes your book stand out?
A: I have found that most nursing career books are focused on varying levels of educational attainment. In my book, I solely wanted to focus on the non-hospital career options that were available to the entry level registered nurse… I did not want to include careers that require advanced educational preparation, as most other nursing career books and guides do, because I wanted to make this book applicable to the working registered nurse and nursing student.
The other asset that this book offers is that it is organized by population/developmental stage in life. Nurses interested in non-hospital careers working with just children can easily locate career options in that particular section of the book. My book is organized by newborns and infants, children and young adults, adults, older adults, and other. The other section includes non-hospital nursing jobs that are not focused on a specific age category or population.
Q: Is the list of 60 non-hospital nursing career options exhaustive?
A: In light of the ever-changing healthcare environment, I’m certain that this list will change. There may be roles that will no longer be required and new nursing careers that will develop to meet the needs of the growing population.
Q: What are you most proud of about your book?
A: I really am proud of the way that it is organized by population/developmental stage in life. That really makes it unique and sets it apart from other nursing career books. I also like the layout for each of the 60 nursing careers. The information is presented in a clear and easy to access format.
Q: Seeing that your book has just been recently published, what is the feedback like so far?
A: Although this book has only been published for a short time, I have received a tremendous amount of positive feedback about the book so far. I have been contacted by numerous organizations and individuals that wanted to know more about the book and its origins. I have engaged in several interviews and news stories about the book since publication.
Q: Lastly, what advice would you give to a student who is deciding to do traditional nursing to consider a non-traditional nursing career?
A: I would strongly encourage ALL nursing students/new nurses to begin their nursing careers working in an acute hospital setting. This is the place that can develop their skills and nursing experience which are needed for most non-traditional or non-hospital careers. Most of these non-traditional careers require a high level of autonomy, critical thinking, and prioritization and it may be challenging for new or novice nurses to provide quality nursing care without having a strong foundation first.